Juantarius Bryant Falls Victim To Fake Atlanta Falcons Tryout Text Scam

NFL hopeful falls victim to a new text scam that makes free agents think they are getting an official NFL tryout and when they arrive, they realize nobody knows who they are and it’s all made up.

Source: Scott Cunningham / Getty

When it comes to scams, every industry has one. Perhaps the worst thing imaginable is when said scams make headlines.  Some of the trickery that goes on in today’s world is so crazy and unbelievable that you question how someone would ever fall for it. At some point today, you will probably get a call about your vehicle warranty, which is a scam none of us can escape. When it comes to sports, the scams are far and wide, but when they happen, they can usually be stopped in their tracks.

Recently, NFL hopeful Juantarius Bryant, a defensive back from Austin Peay State University, fell victim to an NFL tryout scam. According to reports from ESPN, Bryant was lured to the Atlanta Falcons training factuality for a tryout only to be disappointed.

Juantarius Bryant thought he was heading to Georgia this weekend to try out for the Atlanta Falcons during the team’s rookie minicamp. When he arrived in Flowery Branch, though, he learned he had been the victim of a hoax instead.

Bryant, a defensive back from Austin Peay, was never actually contacted by the Falcons but instead by someone texting him from an Atlanta area code pretending to be defensive coordinator Dean Pees. So when Bryant arrived at the team’s facility Wednesday to get ready for his chance to accomplish an NFL dream, he was instead turned away.

As you can imagine, this plays a huge impact on your emotional state–especially chasing a dream and thinking you finally got a chance to make it come true. Even if you don’t make the team, it puts fuel in your tank to keep going. The Falcons pointed out how well Bryant handled the situation and promised his time would come. Bryant took to social media to vent his frustrations.

“It’s been a rough few days, but I felt the need to clear the air and get this off my chest. Honestly ready to move on from the situation,” Bryant wrote on Twitter.

You can read his full statement about the ordeal below.